Pappy

October 8, 2022

G'day people,

Well, now that most of the seam filling has been done I can get back to finishing the cockpit. I added a sun shield and scratch-built the gubbins on the LHS of the HUD as well as the HUD itself

I also added the oxy hose and mike cable on the RHS console that was made from two different gauges of speaker wire. In addition to the canopy locking mechanism in Bay 5

thanks,

Pappy

October 4, 2022

1 hour ago, Motty said:

G'day Pappy,

The canopy, at least, seems to be tinted.

More pics here (I hope)

https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=510960064372926&set=pcb.510960221039577

as also linked on our club facebook page by John.

Cheers,

Motty.

Wow, very nice!

The bombs look great, and the office is also pretty nice with many features that were missed by Meng/KH and Italeri present.

I missed the tinted canopy, good to see it was not overlooked though.

The weapons bay is the most accurate yet of any kit and importantly the two bays are not simply a mirror image of each other. I can see one or two of these in my near future!

Pappy

October 4, 2022

G'day people,

I think that people should wait for some of the review sites to show pics of the surface detail before passing judgement on the RAM tape. The shot from the rear in Homebee's post makes me think that the surface detail is actually quite restrained.

Two things I have noticed however,

1. They are the first manufacturer to depict the production version of the ejection seat, even the resin guys don't offer the production version

2 . Tamiya have depicted the canopy FLSC and 'H' patches, again something no other manufacturers have done.

They have also left the canopy clear which means the modeller will need to tint this and the EOTS windows to be accurate. I have not seen pics of the weapons but hopefully Tamiya's bombs are better than the rubbish bombs included in the Italeri 1/48 F-35B kit, the pics seem to support this,

cheers,

Pappy

October 4, 2022

18 hours ago, Wings unlevel said:

Looking seamless!

I see what you did there

12 hours ago, Corsairfoxfouruncle said:

Looks good to me, do you have a blue to add to the blue-grey ? That might get the shade/tone you're looking for ?

G'day Dennis,

I have several blues I could use to mix and adjust but I was hoping for an out of the bottle solution. I am using FS35109 as suggested by the decal sheet but I am not feeling it,

cheers,

Pappy

October 3, 2022

G'day people,

Lots of family commitments this long weekend but still managed to squeeze some bench time in.

The wing seams are finally done

The underside seams were very quick and easy to sort

The upper seams were not especially difficult, it was just a matter of doing the work. I ended up using CA as a filler as it sands well if sanded soon after setting and does not shrink and can be easily scribed without cracking.

Now that my darker blue shade has arrived I sprayed the light blue tank

To my eye this looks a little too grey and light, more like a blue-grey instead of the blue that I see in my reference pictures....

cheers,

Pappy

October 1, 2022

On 9/15/2022 at 2:19 PM, Andwil said:

Looking great so far Tom. F-35 weapons bay is mostly white, but filthy:

RAAF F-35A. (My photo)

AW

I disagree about the filthy part.

The bays do look busy but I would not conclude that they are dirty. and ceratinly not if based on that picture. What I do see in that picture is that the cabling and plumbing details are not symmetrical and a mirror image of each other as most (all?) manufacturers depict this area.

I think that the electrical cable details being dark combined with the shadows are giving the impression of grime. I also don't understand where the grime would come from as hyd fluid is typically red (to make spotting leaks easier against a white painted bay) and the stores are released using compressed air.

cheers,

Pappy

October 1, 2022

G'day Tom,

Very nice work going on here.

Two points which are likely too late to correct but which may help others,

1. When underwing pylons are installed the three cover plates for each hard oint are removed, so to be accurate these raised plates should be sanded off before installing the corresponding pylon

2. GBU-12s can have 'mismatched' guidance sections i.e. green with grey as these two parts come as separate kits but the adapter collar (immediately behind the fwd steering fins) is included with the rear aerofoil kit, so this should be the same colour as the tail., so grey in this instance

The bombs IItaleri have included in their 1/72 kit looks a lot better than the ones they supplied in the 1/48 kit which are complete rubbish!

Otherwise this is looking very tasty,

cheers,

Pappy

September 29, 2022

20 hours ago, Wings unlevel said:

Helps keep the motivation levels up when endlessly filling and sanding!

Yeah, I agree, sometimes you can lose your enthusiasm when you are in the FSR loop.

17 hours ago, modelling minion said:

Outstanding work as always mate, I wouldn't be able to get anywhere near this in 1/48 never mind 1/72.

Hi Craig,

I actually prefer 1/72 sometimes as the seams or things like the wing and fuselage are smaller so you can gt more done. Most people tend to rush stores, especially if they are done at the end of a build when people just want to be done and this can leave these looking less than great. Many modelers also find the building the stores to be something of a chore but I actually really like doing them. Also, if done well they can really set a kit off and become another focal point. We are indeed lucky these days as we now have lots of wonderful AM alternatives for accurate stores. The jammer pod for example had something like 8 decals alone!

11 hours ago, Johnson said:

Good recovery and looking very good Pappy.

G'day Chris

Thanks. I still don't know why I had a gap. It wasn't the cockpit tub assembly as the gap was present even with this assembly removed. The resin avionics bay inserts were well forward of the rear edge and did not foul on anything. I was especially diligent to make sure these did not interfere with the fit of the cockpit tub assembly as well. perhaps during the attachment of the intakes and lower fuselage I managed to get something out of kilter?

In any case, I am back on track, but the kit breakdown of the wings (they are simply butt joined) means that I have some decent sanding an filling to look forward to as the resultant seam where the wings join needs to be eliminated completely and panels restored.,

cheers,

Pappy

September 28, 2022

On 9/23/2022 at 8:44 AM, helios16v said:

Cracking work again Pappy.

Thanks very much Chris,

G'day people,

I have spent the past few days sanding seams and there was not much to show. I have finally joined the forward fuselage to the rear. The upper seams were not an issue but unsurprisingly, the lower seam was more problematic

I ended up with a sizeable gap and don't know why? I ended up adding a strip of plastic strip and sanding back

With the fuselage assembled the wings were also attached.

I also temporarily attached the stores just because

cheers,

Pappy

September 25, 2022

G'day Amos,

Hang in there mate. I am enjoying watching you fight the good fight to ' accurise' the kit. It is really coming along,

cheers,

Pappy

September 24, 2022

1 hour ago, modelling minion said:

Always great to have your attention and input mate, and yes there is something about the SLUF isn't there, a great looking plane in an ugly kind of way.

I am lucky that the panel lines are consistent on this one, although the way the fit is going so far (I have built up the wings) I can see a lot of it being lost to filling and sanding.

Happy to be along for the ride. One thing I noticed was that the forward wing centre section profile did not match the fuselage cross section. The other thing was that I deviated from the instruction assembly sequence for the speedbrake . Rather than assemble the speed brake as an assembly and offer this to the assembled fuselage, I thought it wiser to add the relevant parts to each fuselage half.

Otherwise I think that the kit is failry straight forward.

Pappy

September 24, 2022

1 hour ago, modelling minion said:

They're not easy to find over here either mate and they aren't cheap when you do find them.

G'day Craig, I also have a soft spot for the SLUF. I have two of these in the stash, an oroginal Has and a Revell re-box. The plastic in the Revell is a little flashier but also on both the panel detail tends to thin and even dissappear near the fuselage centreline. I am looking forward to your build,

cheers,

Pappy

September 23, 2022

G'day Harry,

The explanation in the linked MATS article provided by Hook is an excellent explanation as to why the common situation for TF-30 engined (F-14A) jets have the open closed config on shut-down, it is a big explanation but very worthwhile reading.

Later engined F-14s still had the same shut down process but when shut down and hyd pressure was removed, these defaulted to both VENs open.

As with most things there were exceptions and you can go and try to find evidence to the contrary but this was the typical practice.

cheers,

Pappy

September 22, 2022

13 hours ago, Johnson said:

Not you Pappy. I got pretty much identical fit. Nothing disastrous that a bit of filler wouldn't solve but I did use a piece of sprue across the back of the avionics bay to widen the back a bit while the TET set.

I hadn't considered nose weight - too late now! .

All nice work in the undercart dept Pappy.

Thanks Charlie, it seems the fit of the nose section on this kit is somewhat problematic. hopefully the assembly of the nose and fusealage will be better. I don't know if this kits needs the nose weight but added as precaustion. i was concerned the resin engine set may have dragged to CogG aft a lttle even with the resin avionics bays in the nose,

cheers,

Pappy

September 22, 2022

G'day people,

I spent today on the undercarriage. The F-15 undercarriage is mostly hidden as the main doors are typically shut on the ground. Obliviously they can be opened manually for maintenance but the usual state is for the larger doors to be closed. The Hasegawa kit supplies the complete NWW and MWW, so if anyone is so inclined they can depict these areas opened and go nuts with the detailing., I have only added a small amount and I was not being especially faithful to the references. Rather it was what the late great Shep Payne referred to as 'creative gizmology'

I slid the cockpit innards into place after first stuffing some nose weight into the radome. I don' know if this jet needs it but added some for Justin. With that done, it was time to add the upper dorsal part to the nose assembly

The two parts did not meet well on the RHS and I ended up with a small step, I think this one was down to me.

The LHS was much better

This will just need a rub down once the glue has set. Now it was time for today's main task. - the undercarriage

I kept the additional details fairly light as the main wheels obscure most of the leg and bay

Cleaning up the landing and taxi light was fun and more like an exercise in lapidary than modelling but I got there in the end. Most pics of in service F-15s show the undercarriage to be clean and well maintained so I just added a light wash and will leave it at that

cheers,

Pappy

September 21, 2022

7 hours ago, Johnson said:

That's a lot Pappy! GWH & Academy F-15Cs are retailing for about £25 here ($40). Is it the import tax?

I do agree about the wing (having just had to 'adjust' the wing/fuselage joins), GWH is a much better and obvious way. But they were never an option for me as I had two Has F-15Cs and one E in the stash.

Cheers,

G'day Charlie,

It is more likely that the deadead 'Australia Tax ' is to blame i.e. the cost of importing coupled with a smaller market.

I could probably get the kit a little cheaper by importing directly through the various on line sources and then it comes down to about $55 -$60 landed but then you would have to wait. 2-3 weeks.

Of course were I to persue that option I would likely order some AM as the additional freight would be negligible and the LHSs just don't carry AM these days . I understand why, it is a lot of $$$$$$ tied up and very specialised market which most customers don't use. Add to that that no matter the size of the inventory they would not have the particular set you need!

cheers,

Pappy

September 21, 2022

6 hours ago, f111guru said:

Pappy,

Add to your reference photo work. https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjA7WDW

All The Best,

Ron VanDerwarker

G'day Ron,

Thanks very much, those pics are very useful, thanks very much,

cheers,

Pappy

September 21, 2022

2 hours ago, Johnson said:

Looking good Pappy. I'm experiencing similar results with my Has F-15C. Gone together OK but lots of minor filling and scraping, a kit of it's time I guess.

G'day Charlie,

100% agree.

While the kit is now quite old I think the details still hold up.

It is interesting to note that the newer Acad and GWH kits also have a similar assembly sequence and they also require filler in pretty much the same spots. One thing I do like about the GWH kit is that the upper wings are moulded integrally to the upper fuselage as the parts breakdown of the Has kit will be a lot more work. Otherwise for such an old kit the detail level is quite good.

I bought the kit quite cheapl so I can afford to spend extra on things like the resin avionics and engine bay sets. I have still spent less than the asking for the GWH kit which is about $70 in Oz, I can get a 1/48 Revell F-15E for that (probably less) so on balance I think the Has kit is better value but only if you can find them cheap e.g 2nd hand at model shows for example. If all three kits (Has. Acad and GWH) were the same price, I would opt for the GWH kit

cheers,

Pappy

September 21, 2022

On 9/20/2022 at 8:13 PM, Wings unlevel said:

Amazing detailing as always Pappy.

Thanks WU,

G'day people,

First round of FSR today

The seams are being tamed gradually but I think I have a couple more rounds yet before I get to an acceptable result. It seems (no pun intended!) that there is a common moulding flaw with this kit that results in two decent sink marks on the outer fuselage in the area adjacent the MWWs. Not a hard fix but annoying.

The fit of the intakes OTOH was quite rewarding

I only had a small step at the back edge that just needed a smear of filler to help blend them in. I only needed to spend a few minutes re-scribing some lost panel lines but was otherwise very happy with how these turned out

With the putty drying I rewarded myself with painting up the stores for my 'Aggressor Config'

The config will be:

STN 1 EFT (optional)

STN 1A AIM-9X CATM

STN 1B AIM-9M CATM

STN 2 (FWD) ELTA EL-8222 ECM pod

STN 7 EFT (optional)

STN 7B AN/APX-95 ACMI pod

The light blue EFT and the racks still need to have their dark blue colour added but alas I am awaiting the postie. I may leave both jugs off or just fit one to the C/L but for now I like the idea of one jug in standard grey and the other in the light/dark blue camo.

With the exception of the resin EL-8222 pod, these all came from gash spares. The ACMI pod was donated by a fellow club member and all round top bloke Andrew, cheers mate!

I decided to add the protective covers to the jammer pod and CATMs so I cut off their respective noses and scratched up some covers from scrap resin which was cut and sanded to shape

cheers,

Pappy

September 20, 2022

Wow Rich, this WIP has everything, even BDR!

Seriously though, great recovery, a lesser modeller mad have given the kit a test flight after that slip-up

cheers,

Pappy

September 20, 2022

On 9/19/2022 at 5:53 PM, Sam said:

Pappy, the detailing of the open panels you have added look great!

Thanks very much Sam

23 hours ago, Col. said:

Both areas really are looking great

Cheers Col

13 hours ago, Corsairfoxfouruncle said:

This is going to be a very detailed and interesting build when on display.

Hi Dennis, hopefully mine will stick out a little on a crowded model table

G'day people,

Happy TEWSday!

Yup I managed to get the TEWS avionics painted up and installed today. Not as good as the resin item but good enough for guvmint work as they say.

I also painted and installed the engine bay

It still needs some finessing to blend into the fuselage but it is mostly there. That done I could finally close up the rear fuselage halves. This was a mixed bag with the left side having a relative clean join but a slight step on the right side. I would show you some pics but it seems Photobucket is feeling a bit tired and emotional at the moment and and may need a little ie down

cheers,

Pappy

September 19, 2022

On 9/17/2022 at 11:24 PM, Johnson said:

A good call Pappy. If they didn't paint the outside, probably wouldn't have painted inside either. But some interesting shades which would look good on a model. My suggestion for more holes was very much tongue-in-cheek. I think the F-15, stunning as it is, needs a bit extra to make a standout model. The work you're doing is quite enough and will look great.

No wokkas Charlie,

G'day people,

I spent today doing some detail painting of the Forward Avionics Bay (FAB) and engine bay.

The FAB will be a natural focal point and I have tried to keep as close to my references whilst using a small amount of license to add some splashes of colour without turning the thing into a Christmas pageant

I also blocked in the main colours for the engine bay and applied a mix of oil shades

I will pick out a few of the lines and accessories once the oils dry but I could not resist a cheeky dry fit

cheers,

Pappy

September 17, 2022

On 9/17/2022 at 7:46 PM, Shorty84 said:

Some more I've found:

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/3b/d8/71/3bd871039f3f4e2f32ebed3a0ffcb329.jpg

https://preview.redd.it/onrb85mkwjg91.jpg?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=f060484246d346f3caf3961a743efff2572348ca

https://media.defense.gov/2014/Feb/28/2000872464/1200/1200/0/140227-F-MY082-076.JPG

Hope they help in your endeavour!

Cheers

Markus

G'day Markus,

That second lot of links were exactly what I needed, thanks very much!

cheers,

Pappy

September 17, 2022

25 minutes ago, Johnson said:

Not the best pic, but might help.

And some inspiration, just in case you feel the desire to cut some more holes...

Thanks Charlie, as you say not definitive, more tantalising I would say. I asked the same question in the Modern Aircraft forum and Markus hooked me up withbsome useful links. I am going with unpainted Titanium for the bay and doors.

As for the last pic, that would be a stunning kit but not for me, i thing that many open panels ruins the sleek look of the jet,

cheers,

Pappy

September 17, 2022

2 hours ago, Wings unlevel said:

Meant to ask how you did these? My GWH F-15E’s seats had ugly seams in the headbox which I’ve filled and sanded back to minimise the worst of it, but it looks you have done some deft scratch building?

Even after the liability insurance you’d think a surgeon’s wage should leave a bit leftover for plenty of styrene and resin!

G'day,

The parapack is just a scrap of resin offcut that was cut and dsanded to shape, paint did the rest. As for surgeon,s income, with falling Medicare subsidies suspect many can barely rub two learjets together to keep warm

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